03x01 - Fight or Flight

[bunniefuu]

Proton molecule...

they gave the g*dd*mn thing a name.

We did not choose this, but this is our fight now.

We'll hide it.

No one knows we have it.

It'll be safe.

What's happening?

Eros has changed trajectory.

It's now on a direct collision course with Earth.

They left me here all alone.

I just want to go home.

Why don't we go to Venus?

The Eros incident was our first contact with alien life.

It's too dangerous to leave our sample out there anymore.

We should k*ll it, drive it into the g*dd*mn sun.

It's the only way.

It's done?

Yeah, it's done.

They are engaging in orbit!

Free fire, 500 meters!

What do you know about Dr.

Lawrence Strickland?

He's my daughter's pediatrician.

You're going to Ganymede to find Dr.

Strickland.

Please take me with you.

You were right about that thing on Ganymede.

It was a weapons test.

The w*apon's up for sale, and Mars wants it.

What were you doing with the protomolecule?

We made it...

in our own image.

We're not going anywhere till that thing is dead.

Got it!

No, please!

That is not your kid!

Not anymore!

Monsieur Mao, the MCRN "Karakum" dispatched by Korshunov to take delivery of your protomolecule technology was destroyed over Ganymede.

And I gave the order.

Get down! - You're sh*t.

- Go to the airlock, go.

Fire!

The creature gets energy from radiation.

We lure it out.

Prax, it's not Mei!

f*ring up the barbecue.

I think we've stopped.

The protomolecule has changed everything.

I don't ever remember a time when Earth, Mars, and the Belt weren't fighting.

No one knows what the protomolecule wants or what it's doing, but they are using it anyway.

Earth has it; Mars has it; And the Belt needs it too.

Naomi...

what did you do?

I gave the protomolecule to Fred Johnson.

The Arboghast was above the Eros impact crater when the astonishing event occurred.

Experts throughout the system are now training their instruments on Venus to observe the activity of what multiple sources are calling "the protomolecule." In what many believe is a prelude to w*r.

Planetary defenses have been placed on high alert as UNN ships were dispatched from Earth and Luna to reinforce fleets in the Belt and Outer Planets.

After accusing the UN of assassinating Defense Minister Korshunov...

And imperialism of Earth for far too long.

And now their actions have brought us to the brink.

If they wish to test us in battle, we are ready.

We will not back down.

Our people are united in purpose.

Mars shall prevail.

A sense of despair is pregnant.

Most Belters believe that this time, w*r is inevitable.

Third Fleet is on intercept, sir.

Awaiting engagement authorization.

We need to get Mars back to the table before this madness spreads past Ganymede.

Where the hell is Chrisjen?

We don't know.

She still hasn't reported in.

Sir, any overtures towards peace, it would be a grave mistake.

I'm the Secretary General.

I will make that decision.

Of course you will, sir.

We were just sitting across the table, hammering out a treaty.

It was a Martian smokescreen to take advantage of the chaos after Eros.

All the while, they were redeploying their fleets.

Followed by a wave of lies, accusing us of assassinating Defense Minister Korshunov or f*ring the first sh*ts over Ganymede.

We don't know who fired the first sh*ts...

Enough!

Mars has bloviated for a century about creating a paradise for its people.

And what have they built instead?

w*r.

Sir, every conflict assessment concludes the same thing.

They have better ships, but we have significantly more.

In an all-out w*r, we prevail.

All-out w*r?

If Mars gets a hold of whatever's on Venus, this alien technology, I believe Earth is over.

This is happening on my watch.

I get to wear this, not you.

Sir, in five years, Mars will have the strength to impose their will on the system, to shut Earth off from the resources of the Belt.

I mean, at that point, we may as well be their colony.

Future generations will look back on this day as the moment that you forged your legacy.

Convene the Security Council.

I want a formal declaration of w*r.

You heard the Secretary General.

Let's go.

Get this clear, people.

I need five scenarios, including exit strategies.

Joe, go with her.

Reactor shielding's intact.

Nothing critical damaged.

Boys...

There any more residual protomolecule back there?

No, I think we're square.

All right, head in.

Prax...

Prax, you got the cargo bay shield up yet?

Yeah, I was...

just finishing up.

Amos.

Look, I know Holden, and there's no way he's okay after everything that went down.

What do we do?

We leave him the f*ck alone.

Amos, listen to me...

Hey, you like Ceres, right?

There's probably a lot of great dock work on there, and we know they got good brothels.

What the hell you going on about?

Our family is falling apart.

- Do you understand that?

- We were never a family, Alex.

All we did was draw lucky straws on the Cant.

We were stronger together; Now we're not.

So that's your answer.

After everything we've been through, our ship, our home, you want to lose the "Roci"?

You mean the ship that we stole from Mars?

We're the only ones who can fix this.

You keep telling yourself that.

No, we're not done here.

Look, just look in my eyes and tell me the God's honest truth.

What were you thinking when Naomi told you what she did?

I'm not gonna lie, I didn't know what she was saying, 'cause my blood was so hot in my ears.

She's not the person I thought she was.

Guys, check your alerts.

We're about to be in the middle of a w*r zone.

We'll need a new transponder name and drive signature.

This ship would be a prize for either side.

Copy that.

It's okay.

Stay with me now.

- Stay with me.

It's okay.

It's okay.

We still have hostiles on board.

They've k*lled the elevator, which is our only way out.

So first things first.

I'm gonna leave the room for five minutes.

You can hold the fort that long.

I brought you so you could hold the f*cking fort, not me.

Go, Bobbie, get out of here.

Shut up.

- Pick it up.

I don't want to.

Pick it up!

If anyone else but me comes through that door, you put them on the ground.

Don't you dare leave us here.

I'll be right back.

You're fired!

I thought we had a deal.

New deal.

I was rooting for you.

It's what kept me going.

I need you to help me take control of the ship.

I'm just a junior electrician.

Well, today you get to be a hero.

Cargo bay is sealed and pressurized.

Inners finally got their w*r.

I need a new name for our transponder.

From me?

Why not?

Okay, how about, um...

How about "Contorta"?

It's short for Pinus Contorta or P. Contorta.

It's this type of pine tree from Earth, does surprisingly well in low-G.

Spent a lot of time with them for my dissertation.

They're good company.

Actually quite fascinating.

In order for them to survive, they have to die with fire.

The seeds come out of the fire.

That's the wisdom of the pines.

I could say you owe me or that we have a debt to settle, but that would be playing yesterday's game.

And there's no longer time for that, because now the Belt is in a position to become an equal player, because I have the Inners' w*apon, and you have the key to harnessing that w*apon.

The more you share, the more your bowl will be plentiful.

Why are you looking at me like that?

I saved your life.

I have a new dent in my skull.

Would you like another one?

- Where's our Martian t*nk?

So you're in charge of defense?

Damn right.

Well, it suits you.

Errinwright gave the order to k*ll you.

He'll want confirmation, which he won't get from that guy.

So what's Errinwright's next move?

He's got people on that escort ship.

We have to assume they'll be back.

So we'll take control of this boat, haul ass to that safe port, where we can broadcast out for help.

Unless you have a better bad idea.

No.

- All right, I'm ready.

- Wait.

- Let's do this.

- Let me help you.

Hold on...

what?

Maybe I'll just...

for a minute.

sh*t.

Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!

Well done, Madam.

This is Theo.

He's gonna help us out.

Give me that.

Yeah.

Fleet reports, sir.

Leave them with the office.

I have a draft of an official statement for you to review, sir.

Keep me apprised of any additional changes.

Yes, sir.

Privacy.

Have you heard from Avasarala?

No, you?

No.

She knows.

What the hell you talking about, Sadavir?

Sir, we need to discuss Eros.

Right now?

I haven't been forthright about Avasarala's absence or her recent actions, not while there was still any doubt.

Doubt about what?

I believe she's involved in a conspiracy against this government.

You'd better be g*dd*mn sure before bringing charges like that to me.

For several years, Chrisjen has been running a shadow government.

Her public att*cks against Jules-Pierre Mao and Fred Johnson were calculated to cover up the truth about Eros, that it was a weapons test of the alien technology.

She saved Earth from Eros.

From a disaster that she unleashed herself.

Look, it was Chrisjen who convinced us to give control of the missiles to Fred Johnson during the Eros crisis...

Missiles that still go unaccounted for.

So where is she now?

According to my sources, she's left for a covert meeting on board a ship owned by Jules-Pierre Mao, accompanied by the Martian defector.

And that ship is currently running dark in the Belt.

Why the hell wouldn't you tell me about this, Sadavir?

Because this is a woman I love.

Christ, she's almost a mother to me.

If our relationship has blinded my judgment, I'll answer for that.

Do you think that she would offer the protomolecule to Mars?

Anything's possible when she realizes she's no longer safe.

What do you want me to do?

Apprehend her, at all costs.

They had a sample all along.

Holden lied to us.

Who told you where to find it?

Naomi Nagata.

Bitch.

Now we have a deterrent.

And that means power.

And how long before Anderson Dawes steals this from you too?

No, he's not gonna steal it, because I already told him.

Look, he has the scientist who's the key to opening this lock.

You told him?

New day, new bedfellows.

We can't afford to be shortsighted right now.

You're crawling into bed with Anderson Dawes...

Who incited my Belters into nearly f*ring missiles at Earth...

who nearly destroyed Tycho and got both of us k*lled.

Transponder's done.

Masking our transponder isn't gonna keep us alive for very long.

We should go to Tycho!

No.

Fred Johnson will help us.

Of course he will.

You brought him the blue goo.

Now you want to bring him a nice little warship.

What the hell were you thinking, Naomi?

Do you have any idea how many more people are gonna die because of what you did?

Fewer Belters...

Are you kidding me?

You know, I wanted to give that sh*t to Mars, remember?

But we all decided as a group to fly that crap into the sun.

So what gives you the right to make that decision for all of us?

We were talking about survival.

Tycho is how we survive.

We're not going to Tycho.

We'll take our chances on Pallas or Ceres.

There's plenty of places to hole up and ride this out.

Everyone knows who we are, and a lot of them consider us criminals.

Five minutes after we dock, they'll rat us out to Mars for a nice little finder's fee.

And if it's a Martian patrol, they will take back this ship by force.

And if it's an Earth patrol, they'll just blow us up.

We've got no friends, no safe harbor.

We are living on borrowed time if we don't get this ship parked.

Get us to Tycho, and you'll never have to see my face again.

Come on, let's finish this up.

All right, bring it in.

Get behind me.

This is gonna get ugly.

Don't sh**t.

We're unarmed.

We're just a flight crew.

I tweaked the engines to burn hot and dirty.

As long as no one gets too close, we'll just look like another shitty freighter.

When you're done, have Alex power down the comms array for silent running.

Roger that.

We should go to Tycho.

Alex thinks so too.

I hate it, but she's right.

Tycho?

It's the only way to keep the crew breathing and out of a Martian gulag.

Fred Johnson's the devil we know.

And he owes us, because of Naomi.

Yep.

Let me know when everything's finished.

How's your leg?

It's fine.

Is it?

Because you seem like you're in a lot of pain, and I just...

I'm good.

I'm good.

Okay.

You should try tea.

Hey, are you okay?

Feels like a hangover.

Yeah, you'll be okay.

I always wanted to fly this thing.

They tell you, get your training, get certified, and then they never let you near the control room.

It's a total who-you-know type deal, this whole company.

What was that?

What the hell are you doing?

That wasn't me.

It's the a*t*matic defense countermeasures.

Defense against what?

Errinwright is going with missiles from that escort ship.

That would have been my move too.

Missiles?

17 minutes till impact if this perfume bottle maintains current thrust.

sh*t, wait.

When I was not selling out to the captain, he told us Mao kept his kid's ship up in the hangar bay...

A racing ship.

Let's go, move.

All communications come through here, yes?

A record of every message in and out of the ship?

There's a comms buffer somewhere in the memory panels.

- Get it for me, please.

- Now?

Is this our priority?

Errinwright's message should be on there, the one that proves he's a treasonous piece of sh*t whose balls should be ground into...

It proves nothing if we're space junk.

There are dozens of modules in that system.

It would take me hours.

Then stop wasting time.

It's my job to keep you alive, and you're making it damn difficult.

If I don't have any evidence, then my life isn't worth much either.

Should I just pick her up?

You try it.

There's no time.

Hey, hey, hey.

You, you're scared.

You're overwhelmed.

And so are we.

Take a breath.

You have a family you want to get back to, someone you love.

We're the same.

Now focus and get me what I need.

It is very important.

The ship is pretty tense.

You could have mentioned that on Tycho.

Some things are in flux right now.

Nature's only constant...

Change.

You really like botany metaphors.

How about one for a guy who has a problem tilting at windmills?

Tilting at windmills?

I tend to take on fights that can't be won.

It's nice to let go of all of that.

It's too bad.

It's the way a child looks at things, with a sense of the possible.

A child who won't grow up turns into a fool.

But fools keep going, even when they know there's no chance of winning.

I knew a guy like that once.

What happened to him?

That wasn't Mei on our ship.

There was nothing human in those eyes.

I'll probably never know.

I got to learn to live with that...

Not knowing.

I got it.

I got it.

You've done your planet a great service.

She says that to everyone.

Let's go.

Clear.

That's a Series-6.

- A two-seater.

- f*ck!

There's got to be a way we can all fit in there.

Pilot and navigator.

Anyone not strapped in is hamburger at the speeds that ship will be moving.

I'm certified.

I can fly it.

You're coming with me to the drop ship.

Bobbie, you'll fly Avasarala out of here, somewhere you can broadcast out for help.

You can pilot, right?

- Well enough.

- Does that mean yes?

That means I'll handle it.

Hey, I checked the flight deck when I got my armor.

They've sh*t the pilot and trashed the controls.

We'll manage.

I'm not getting into that f*cking coffin!

Yeah, but you are.

- The hangar bay won't open.

- What?

It's the countermeasures.

When the ship's under thr*at, everything goes into lockdown.

Find us another way.

I'm sorry.

At full burn, the bay will never open.

Stay here.

All right.

Let's...

put you to sleep.

Record message.

From Alex Kamal to Talissa and Melas Kamal, Residential Dome 2-6, Breach Candy District.

Hey, y'all.

This is Alex, your daddy.

Well, I mean, your husband and your daddy.

This feels kind of awkward, actually, talking like we all don't know each other.

But I guess it's...

It has been a while.

You know, you might not even recognize me, little guy.

So I should have called you after the Donnager, I know.

Well, I guess I'm doing it now, right?

Better late than never.

Sorry.

I know you hate when I say that.

Look.

I just want to make sure y'all are safe, with everything that's been going on right now.

I don't think Earth would ever b*mb Mars, but people have acting real crazy lately.

So you pay extra special attention to those drills at school, all right, cowboy?

You listen to what the government and your mama tells you.

It'll keep you safe.

I've been an awful husband...

and a worse father.

I know.

I'm just trying to...

I'm just trying to do some good out here.

And we have.

I have.

I think...

I think this is what I've always really wanted to do...

More than I wanted to be there with you.

I just could never really tell you that... 'Cause I don't think I knew myself.

But that doesn't mean that for one second I did not love you, both of you, very, very much.

We are rigged for silent running.

This plan sucks.

I'm not gonna totally disagree.

She isn't even a pilot.

Well, I'd happily chauffeur, but you wouldn't want to see the mess from this wound when we hit high six Gs.

Even if you escape the missiles, the UN will fire on your drop ship when they come to mop up.

The UN fire on an unarmed ship bearing their own flag?

They'll need to find out if you're on board.

So we'll be all right.

I've laid in a course that avoids the high-traffic zones.

It'll take us a bit longer, but...

we'll get to Tycho quietly.

I didn't give a f*ck about your daughter.

Jim!

I used you to get us through Ganymede, and none of us would be breathing if you hadn't come.

Look, you don't have to say that.

We owe you some answers, so at least you know we did everything we could to find her.

The lab on Ganymede.

That was a field lab.

That's not where they created those Hybrids...

Can I just speak for a moment?

When the Hybrid b*rned up in our drive, it timed exactly with that ship that got pulled apart over Venus.

Now, we know the protomolecule is connected, that it communicates with itself.

And something else happened at that same moment.

A spike on lo, another "shout" from the protomolecule.

And lo is still within range.

Look, we've already decided...

There's a decommissioned Helium-3 refinery there...

built by Jules-Pierre Mao.

We've plotted a safe, clean course for Tycho.

Everything is there.

We can go to Tycho...

after lo.

Jim, we're all devastated about Prax's child, but sacrificing this crew doesn't bring her back.

Look past your anger towards me, please.

This isn't about you.

And I don't give a damn about the protomolecule anymore.

It's out there now.

So be it.

But we promised Prax we'd help him find his daughter, and we did every damn thing except that.

We're all in agreement.

Tycho is the only way we survive.

I assure you, Fred Johnson will help us...

Io.

- f*ck it, I'm in.

- Amos...

Me too.

I'll go set a course.

Which threatens to throw the Inner Planets into a state of all-out w*r...

More ships, more w*r, more death.

You and Dawes want to join that party?

The idea is to prevent exactly that.

Yes, a "deterrent." But everything becomes a w*apon, Freddy.

Didn't you teach me that?

Sometimes you make your move.

It's the Belt's moment, and we didn't get to choose it.

You have your big ideas.

And I get sh*t.

You know why I stayed with you after Dawes dragged you out of the gutter, after I convinced him not to put you down like a dog?

To keep an eye on me.

Dawes wasn't convinced of my loyalty.

Dawes wanted me back on Ceres, and I wanted to get away.

No future down his road.

I saw something different in you.

I chose you.

Well, then...

I'm glad you did.

And we built Tycho together.

A way forward for the Belt.

Now that blue siren has got you dreaming about bigger things?

When I'm pissed off, you normally have the good sense to stay the hell away for a couple of days, and it's been two hours.

So what is it you want?

I need you to lead a salvage mission.

Bring back the Nauvoo.

You gonna make nice with the Mormons?

No, why would you?

We're gonna retrofit the ship for the Belt, because soon we're not gonna be a bunch of tribes.

We're gonna be a nation.

Sounds a little like you want me out of the way.

No, it's exactly what I'm saying it is.

Yeah, the doctor's been telling me I need to take a vacation to heal up.

I can't do this without you.

Once Earth and Mars get done b*ating each other back to the Stone Age, they're gonna need the Belt more than ever.

We need to be ready.

A cathedral converted into a warship, sounds like the heart of a great and lasting nation.

I need you.

Will you go?

Can I finish my drink first?

Less than five minutes.

Easy, cowboy, plenty of time.

Ice water in my veins under pressure.

That's why you hired me, right?

It's gonna be okay.

Okay?

Don't forget your antibiotics.

I won't.

Good job, Marine.

Same to you, spy.

Now we're anonymous.

I need to stow my suit.

Take off all that tinsel.

Is this really the time for fashion advice?

At six Gs, that junk will tear your head off.

You decide.

Go, go, go, go!

Just gonna tea-kettle nice and easy out into the big empty.

And then what happens?

I'm interested to find that out myself.

Powering up.

I'm no expert, but shouldn't we get the hell away from that yacht?

Not too soon, or one of those missiles might see us and lock on our drive.

Did Cotyar get out?

I'm sure he did.

Now quiet.

Prepare for clamp release.

Shall we shove off now, please?

Sit still, you're gonna need it.

Get me off this ship!

Hitch your tits and pucker up.

It's time to peel the paint.

sh*t!

Brace for impact.